by Sarah Geegan

Adjunct Anthropology Professor Kim McBride's 22 years of archaeological work at Pleasant Hill, a former Shaker community approximately 30 miles southwest of Lexington, was recently featured in the national publication, American Archaeology magazine.

The magazine's seven-page feature highlights McBride's extensive work at Pleasant Hill, which includes directing a series of field schools in which more than 100 students have located former building sites throughout the village. Throughout these excavations, McBride, co-director of Kentucky Archaeological Survey

By Sarah Geegan

Biology professor James Krupa recently received his second major accolade from the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) in the past two years. After taking home the NABT University Teaching Award last year, Krupa received the Evolution Education Award for 2012 — crediting famous UK alumnus John T. Scopes for much of his inspiration.

The award recognizes innovative classroom teaching and community education efforts to promote the accurate understanding of biological evolution. Sponsored by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) and National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent), the honor will be officially presented to

The fluids we drink can hold cultural and historical significance -- but what about the way they affect our physiology? A new course, A&S 100-024, The Science Behind What We Drink, is professor Rita Basuray’s fusion of the two. By examining the role of water, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola in terms of historical significance and the ways in which they interact with the human body, the class will connect science and the humanities. Basuray’s class is also bridging the gap between campus and community by bringing in local businesses such as Mon Tea and campus organizations like the UK office of Substance Education & Responsibility to the course. 

For more information about the course, contact Rita Basuray: 

WRD is offering a unique course in October. A&S 100-006, Composing with Visuals, focuses on the visual aspect of digital communication skills. Rachel Elliott, who is the instructor for the course, talks about the ways students will create visuals to explore identities, tell stories, and interpret information, and present findings via photography, film, and infographics. The course begins in mid-October 2012.

For more information about the course, or to enroll, please contact your advisor.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

This work is licensed under a

Matt Wilson's GIS Workshop at the University of Kentucky builds connections to the community through partnerships with non-profit organizations such as Seedleaf and the Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice.

International Studies senior Cassie Hardin is spending the next five months is Beijing, China. Luckily for us, she has a video camera and is not afraid to use it! Follow her adventures as she blogs from abroad, and helps A&S celebrate our Year of China initiative.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

The Department of Mathematics is excited to welcome professor Bert Guillou to its faculty!

Professor Guillou joins us this fall researching topology, the mathematical study of surfaces. He is interested in homotopy theory, the study of "transforming" one surface or shape into another, a field with applications in quantum physics, robotics, and even molecular biology.

This podcast is part of a series highlighting the new faculty members who joined the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall 2012 semester.

Produced by Stephen Gordinier.

Philosophy and Modern Life

Lecture Series

View the poster for the Series

Massimo Pigliucci, CUNY-Lehman College

“Answers for Aristotle: How Science and Philosophy Can Lead to

A More Meaningful Life”

Thursday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m.  W.T.Y. Library Auditorium

Co-sponsored with the Department of Entomology

Jeffrey Bishop, St. Louis University

“The Challenge of Transhumanism”

Wednesday, Oct. 10, 4:00 p.m.  Student Center 230

Co-sponsored with

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

The Department of Psychology is excited to welcome professor Michelle Martel to its faculty!

Professor Martel joins us this fall studying preschool and childhood Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Her research looks to find developmental pathways to DBD and ADHD by studying not only early markers and traits, but also biological and environmental factors.

This podcast is part of a series highlighting the new faculty members who joined the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall 2012 semester.

Produced by Stephen Gordinier.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

The Department of Chemistry is excited to welcome professor Chris Richards to its faculty!

Professor Richards joins us this fall to research cell membrane receptors. His research group integrates nanotechnology, neuroscience, and biophysical chemistry, and is developing imaging techniques to investigate how these receptors are involved in the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and addiction.

This podcast is part of a series highlighting the new faculty members who joined the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall 2012 semester.

Produced by Stephen Gordinier.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

The Division of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Media is excited to welcome professor Brian McNely to its faculty!

Professor McNely joins us this fall studying how people work and interact. He researches professional writing in digital environments, tracing the writing that people do in order to find out how they get things done, how they make meaning from the work they do, and how they share that meaning with others.

This podcast is part of a series highlighting the new faculty members who joined the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall 2012 semester.

Produced by Stephen Gordinier.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

The Department of History is excited to welcome professor Amy Murrell Taylor to its faculty!

Professor Taylor joins us this fall to study the history of the American South in the emancipation era, during and after the Civil War. Her research explores how the war and the end of slavery transformed southern society, culture, and identity.

This podcast is part of a series highlighting the new faculty members who joined the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall 2012 semester.

Produced by Stephen Gordinier.

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

The Department of Political Science is excited to welcome professor Abby Córdova to its faculty!

Professor Córdova joins us this fall to continue her research on comparitive politics. She studies the effects of crime, poverty, and economic inequality on the democratic process in Latin America. Her field research has taken her to Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, and Guyana.

This podcast is part of a series highlighting the new faculty members who joined the College of Arts and Sciences in the fall 2012 semester.

Produced by Stephen Gordinier.

Dripsinum is the name of a place that isn't on any modern map - but, according to recent research, should be on the maps of the ancient Roman Empire. Archaeologists George Crothers and Paolo Visona returned from Italy this summer with data that indicates the whereabouts of the lost Roman settlement, said to be half the size of Pompeii - and another, older site below that!

Though written about in antiquity by medieval scholars and even Pliny the Elder, the features of the ancient city have only recently come to light: with the assistance of magnetic and radar images taken by Crothers and his team. In this podcast, the features of the site are described by Visona and Crothers, as well as the historical and cultural significance of these

This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman.

When you hear the phrase “Crime and Punishment,” you may think of the famous novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – or, if you’re a student at the University of Kentucky, you may think about a unique course developed by Cynthia Ruder and Janet Stamatel. The course, titled “A&S 100-401: Crime and Punishment in Russia’s Realms,” will examine issues of crime and punishment from literary, social science, and creative perspectives in Russia and surrounding countries from the 1920s to the present. 

by Sarah Geegan

English professor and 2011 National Book Award winner Nikky Finney was recently appointed the inaugural Guy Davenport Endowed English Professor, an award honoring one of UK's most distinguished professors.

Guy Mattison Davenport, author, poet, painter and critic, retired in 1990 as a UK Distinguished Alumni Professor of English. Throughout his career, he received national and international recognition by several educational and professional institutions for his many achievements. Honoring this legacy, the endowed professorship was made possible through a generous donation to the College of Arts and

by Sarah Geegan

English professor and 2011 National Book Award winner Nikky Finney was recently appointed the inaugural Guy Davenport Endowed English Professor, an award honoring one of UK's most distinguished professors.

Guy Mattison Davenport, author, poet, painter and critic, retired in 1990 as a UK Distinguished Alumni Professor of English. Throughout his career, he received national and international recognition by several educational and professional institutions for his many achievements. Honoring this legacy, the endowed professorship was made possible through a generous donation to the College of